Worn canals causing leakage of Jayakwadi water in transit

Poor structural condition of the Jayakwadi dam water canal network in parched Marathwada region in Maharashtra is causing leakage of water in transit to the extent of 35-40%, according to experts.

Corroborating their claim, an Irrigation department official said on Wednesday that almost 70 per cent of the canal network needs a major restoration.

Water is a rare commodity in this drought-prone region with scanty rainfall.

Jayakwadi is one of the largest earthen dams in Asia.

The main purpose of the Jayakwadi project was to irrigate land for agriculture in the drought-prone Marathwada. Other important purpose was to provide water for drinking and industrial usage to nearby towns and villages, and to the municipalities and industrial areas of Aurangabad and Jalna.

"Canals taking water from the Jayakwadi dam to rural regions of Marathwada region need major repairs. The resultant water loss due to leakages has reached 40 per cent, as the weak canals cannot carry the dam water to their fullest capacity," water analyst Y R Jadhav told PTI.

He said both the canals have become structurally weak.

"Some years ago, the state Irrigation department told court that they needed Rs 7,000 crore for a major overhaul of this system. Unfortunately, none of the governments listened, as a result of which the canals remained structurally weak," Jadhav claimed.

Dam expert Pradeep Purandare said the government should repair these canals and bring down water losses.

He said new projects like establishing a water grid is needed in the region.

"These canals were never repaired. Minor repairs are not sufficient," Purandare said, adding that a public pressure need to be created to revive the dam water network system in the absence of a third party monitoring.

When contacted, an Irrigation department official said that almost 70 per cent of the Jayakwadi dam network needs a major restoration.

"The structures like aqua-ducts are leaking while the canal network is not performing to its fullest capacity. Moreover, the present water losses of 35-40% are increasing day by day. We are never sure that this dam will fill to its entire capacity every year," he said.

According to the official, the weared down structures and resultant water leakage is also affecting irrigation potential in the region.

"The storage capacity of the dam is 102.7 TMC (thousand million per cubic feet). The collective length of the right and left canals of Jayakwadi are 340 kms," the official added.

Jayakwadi Project executive engineer Rajendra Kale said the canal system needs to be repaired.